Thunder Dog

Author: Michael Hingson with Susy Flory
Stars: 4.5
Review by: JamBob
Destination: World Trade Towers on 9/11  (NY)

Finally read my "could not put down" book of the season. When I listened to the reports of survivors from 9/11 one story caught my ear immediately and that one involved a blind man leaving the 78th floor of Tower One with his guide dog. What an incredible story of determination that begins from birth for this man and his dog. His story is interposed between the events of 9/11 about his life and how he got a job in the Tower in the first place. Truly extraordinary! Of course we learn to marvel at the guide dog herself named Roselle. What amazing animals these dogs are along with inspirational people who train them.

After reading this book your eyes will be open to the world of handicapped people and their struggle to become productive members of society despite the aura of prejudice that surrounds them, unneccessarily created by people without disabilities. It is a short book and I highly recommend it to everyone for an inside view of the Towers that day, the life and death perspective of the survivors, the monumental will to live despite not knowing any of the circumstances at the time and in the face of overwhelming tragedy.  Everyone in that stairwell was "blind" that day and Michael's physical disability actually becomes his asset. But you will fall in love with Roselle whose training and determination did not fail her when she was asked to reach over and beyond her animal instincts to conquer fear in a situation no trainer or handler could have anticipated. 

So why the 4.5 stars? It is not prose but a quickly written type of narrative, it concentrated more on the life of the man than the events of 9/11 and I felt there is one misplaced political line referring to Pres. Bush and his whereabouts that day. HOWEVER, based upon the life achievements of this man and the dog(s) that guided him through life....this book is a 10!